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International women's day: officials - Kate else

29 March 2019

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March every year and is a focal point in the movement of women’s rights. This year’s campaign theme of #BalanceforBetter is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.

Athletics prides itself on being a gender balanced sport and our officials play a major part in achieving this, where currently there are 59% male and 41% female officials in the UK. In support of International Women’s Day 2019, throughout March, we will feature Officials across the UK to celebrate them and their commitment to athletics.

Kate Else

What is your role as an official?Level 2 Track Judge.

How long have you been officiating?5 years.

What inspired you to become an official?I decided to become an official to give something back to the sport as I used to compete myself (for 40 years). Without officials there can be no competitions!

What would you say to anyone wanting to get into officiating?To any young person thinking about becoming an official I would say give it a go. We are a friendly bunch and willing to help any newcomers to the team. – you won’t be thrown into the deep end! There will always be someone experienced around to mentor you. If you love athletics and no longer compete it’s a great thing to become involved in.

What has been the highlight of your officiating career?My highlight in officiating was as a Games Maker at the 2012 Olympics (supervisor to a team of kit carriers) and my first English Schools Championships last year which was a unique experience.

What can we do as a sport to achieve a #BetterBalance in officiating?Reach out to Schools to encourage young women to get involved in officiating.